Concordia freshman Erik Lien scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Cobbers' 67-51 win over Luther on Saturday. Luke Linz had a team-high 14 points as CC won for the first time this season.

LINCOLN, Neb. (11/24/07)-- Concordia used an 11-4 run at the end of the first half and an 11-2 run midway through the second half to break open their game against Luther and cruise to a 67-51 win in the second game of the Snyder Classic Tournament held at Nebraska Wesleyan.

The run in the final seven minutes of the first half was the catalyst for the Cobbers to claim their first win of the season. CC is now 1-3 on the year as they begin conference play on Wednesday at St. John's. Luther evens their record at 2-2. The Norse defeated a pair of MIAC teams this year - Gustavus and St. Mary's.

The two teams went back-and-forth in the first 13 minutes of play, changing leads nine times and having six ties. That's when Concordia was able to pull away to take a 34-27 lead at halftime.

The Norse cut the Cobbers' lead to three at 40-37 at the 14:55 mark of the second period. Concordia then made their second decisive run of the game by outscoring Luther 11-2 over the next 5:35. That run would push CC over the top as Luther would never be able to get closer than nine points for the rest of the game.

The second half was decided by the hot-shooting touch of the Cobbers. Concordia shot 62.5% (15-of-24) from the floor and 60.0% (3-of-5) from 3-point range for the second half. They were also able to connect on their free throws down the stretch to cement the opening win of the 2007-08 season.

For the game, Concordia finished by shooting 52.8% (28-of-53) from the field and 50.0% (6-of-12) from beyond the arc. Luther shot 33.3% (17-of-51) from the floor and 37.5% (6-of-16) from 3-point range. Concordia outrebounded 34-24 in the game. The Cobbers were also able to limit their turnovers in the game. After averaging 22.67 miscues in their first three games, CC committed only 15 turnovers against the Norse.

Individually, Concordia used a deep offensive attack to come away with the win. All nine players that played in the game for the Cobbers scored at least four points. Senior Luke Linz once again led the team. He finished with a team-high 14 points to go along with four rebounds. Freshman Erik Lien was the only other CC player with more than nine points. Lien had 10 points and added a team-high seven rebounds.

Luther was led by Tony Brantner who went 6-for-8 from the field and finished with 14 points.

Concordia will open up conference play when they play at St. John's on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m.